Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor:  Joseph Golder,  Agency: Newsflash

A Russian knitting enthusiast has started knitting these eery ‘plague doctor’ masks in the light of the global shortage of face masks in the coronavirus pandemic.

Julia Pupkina, 37, is a resident of the city of Chelyabinsk in the south-eastern Russian oblast of the same name and has decided to start knitting the plague doctor masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pupkina, who has been knitting for over 10 years, said: “It can be used as a reusable medical mask. The nose and mouth areas are covered with fabric from the inside, only the eyes are visible. In addition, in the beak of the mask there is a small pocket, like with the doctors in the Middle Ages.”

She said that in the past doctors would place aromatic items in the beaks, but said they could now be filled with anti-septic substances if the wearer wanted.

Pupkina says she decided to knit the masks when the local city administration warned citizens that there was a lack of medical masks in pharmacies and advised people to create their own.

The plague doctor’s hat consists of two parts: a mask with a beak and a wide-brimmed hat. According to Julia, the wide-brimmed hat is removable and can be replaced with another hat

“There are masters who need a pattern to create things. I do not need a scheme, I improvise and decide everything along the way. Sometimes it seems like I’m not knitting but sculpting from plasticine.”

The innovator said that she had already given a few masks to her friends but she will seemingly have to continue sewing them as many other netizens who saw the pictures she shared online decided to order some for themselves.

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